Hell's Belles Chapter Seven: Bitter Sweet Reunions
Gomurr and the girls watched the last bit of late fade away as their crystal prison sank beneath the sand. Rita and Jam sat in stunned silence. Bux tended their cut and bleeding arms and legs as best she could. The glass that the soldiers were composed of would have sliced them to ribbons if they would have struggled more vigorously. As it was, they all had some pretty serious gashes on their arms and legs. Gomurr sat in utter silence, trying once more to reach through to the Crimson Dawn, but once again was met with rejection. Even what magics he could muster from other sources were nowhere near as powerful as they should have been. Some incredibly strong presence was absorbing and controlling almost all of the mystical energy in the area......But how can one being contain so much power without being utterly destroyed?
The cage began to move forward with a lurch....the sand making high pitched scratching noises as the caged slid through it. The noise was like tearing silk, only at so loud a volume that it caused them to cover their ears. The crystalline cube moved faster and faster. There was no way to tell how far they had traveled or in which direction when suddenly their speed began to slow. When the motion finally stopped they realized they could see light at one end of the cage. As they got up and began to walk toward it, the other end began to change back into sand and collapse onto them. The pressed against the glass at the other end and just as the section right behind them gave way, so did the glass wall and they tumbled into a dimly lit chamber of some sort.
As they fell, Gomurr saw the sandstone wall of the large room shift and become solid again. Whatever force had animated the glass soldiers and cage, had now transported them through the ground and into this room. What was going on? Where were they now? Who held the power here? All these questions ran through Gomurr's mind as he lit a mystic flare at the end of his staff and held it aloft. The pale blue light shone outward around the room. The walls, as stated previously, were rough hewn sandstone dotted here and there with chains and manacles embedded in the stone. As Gomurr scanned the room further, he saw a huddled mass on the floor. Cautiously he approached it. He saw the hooded cloak covering dark wide set eyes and dark skin, and for the first time since this experience had began, felt a ray of hope. Rahsas.......here.....This must mean that the Black Hellfire Court and the Upstarts were here to rescue them. From the look of Rahsas, however, that plan seemed to not be going so well.
Gomurr knelt before the lad, trying to revive him. As Rahsas stirred the girls realized that their companion from home was also here, and rushed to his side. There was no strong bond between the four, but a piece of home in a strange land is the most precious commodity of all. As soon as Rahsas explained, he was alone here, that brief feeling of hope faded, and now the five lost travelers felt more desperate than ever. Just as Gomurr began to once again formulate a plan. A door in a dark corner of the huge chamber slid open, and the beautiful woman from Rahsas' vision stepped through. Her beautiful red hair framed her face, and her elegant gown and regal manner made all there admire her loveliness. A triangular prism hung from her neck and pulsed and shone with a beautiful light when she spoke. She was flanked by two dark complected soldiers in crystal breastplates.
"My friends," she cooed, "I must apologize for this most inhospitable welcome. I fear in this time of danger, my armies are quite overzealous in their protection of me.....Please, come...forgive them their duty. I can only beg your forgiveness and try to make it up to you. Follow me, and I will take you to a place, where your wounds can be tended and your spirits refreshed. I see you know the youth that made the unexpected entrance into my sitting room earlier. My apologies again, I was as unfamiliar with him as I am with you, and my guards once again thought only of my safety. GUARDS! help them to their feet and show them to somewhere more comfortable."
Rahsas started to speak, "But you called me bro.........."
"Shhhh," the lovely young woman interrupted, "you were quite incoherent when you arrived, and have been babbling foolishly since that time. We thought you a threat, but now see, that you mean us no harm. Please, let us help you."
And with that statement she swept out of the room and glided down the hall. The guards approached them and helped Rahsas to his feet. As Gomurr looked at the men, he noticed that their eyes were completely clear with no hint of a pupil or iris......only a soft white glow emanated from them. They were very efficient and quick, and in short order the travelers were placed in rooms with beautiful fountain tubs and huge wardrobes of clothing in which for them to change.
"Things are looking up," said Gomurr, "We'll be sure to find a way home now."
A little voice in the back of his mind kept goading him though that things aren't always as they seem.
Havok, the black night practiced his fighting forms with Psi-Shot halfheartedly. Gregor's rage previously in the morning had made all the members of the Black Court a little distracted. Open warfare between houses was a dangerous thing. When the Black's were exiled, it took all the finesse and skill that house arbitrators had to prevent a cycle of revenge and destruction, so now that Gregor had announced his intentions so boisterously, there was ample reason to worry.
"I need a drink," Havok stated. "It's too bloody hot to be out here practicing with you punks anyway."
**Whack** Psi-Shot's psi-lance struck Havok on the ear with a thump.
"ARRRGGH, you little $%&*@#, what the hell do you think you're doing," he shouted.
Psi-Shot backed away slowly. Havok's wrath was as famous as his death stare, which could easily freeze an enemy in his tracks.
"I'm sorry sir," the 16 year old youth said, "I thought you were prepared for that move."
"I was," Havok screamed, "if it hadn't been so sloppily executed as to miss the target area by miles."
The thrust had been perfectly performed, but Psi-Shot knew there was no reason to argue. The best thing to do was to extricate himself from this situation as quickly as possible and to avoid any further contact with the Black Knight for as long as he could. A gravely laugh filled the air behind them and he turned to see Super-Grover's approach.
"It appears the student has bested the master once again." Grover joked.
Havok snapped his attention toward the new arrival. "What business is it of yours blue boy? Go back to your philosophy books, and leave the fighting to those of us that do it well."
Grover concentrated and his bracelets became a staff. He began to spin it casually in a circle with his arm. "Let us see what you can teach me, no?"
Havok stalked toward Grover, his taloned hands squeezing his staff tightly. His first thrust would have shattered flesh and bone alike if it had not been quickly dodged by Grover. His second was even more brutal. With each swing or thrust, Grover evaded it just in time or blocked it with his own staff. Havok's rage grew and grew, his last stroke shattered Grover's concentration causing him to lose the grip on his staff, thus turning it back into bracelets. Although now weaponless, Grover deftly rolled and tripped Havok with his leg. Grover then rolled on top of him and held the jagged edge of his gauntlet-like bracelet's to Havok's throat.
"Let us not give in to the animal within, dear Havok, for a true man can always leash the savage beast." he quoted as his eyes glowed a brilliant yellow.
Havok's own eyes clouded and and he let loose a plasma blast that rocketed Grover away from him.
"STOP" a voice roared. Gregor stepped down to the practice field. "If you idiots are done strutting like thyroid crazed roosters, there are students to teach," he said pointing at the confused looking Psi-Shot.
"Come with me, Psi-Shot. Let these children finish their juvenile tussle. I have a very important task for you" Gregor said as he led Psi-Shot away.
Gregor took Psi-Shot into his inner office. The lad was clearly nervous and sat pale-faced in front of the pacing Black King. Finally the older man spoke.
"Psi-Shot, you have gained a great deal of control over your psionics since you joined us at the school, and I've never asked you for anything in return," Gregor began, "but now I need, what you might call a favor."
Psi-Shot looked up shyly. "What kind of favor?"
"Well," continued Gregor, "Your telekinetics is almost to Alpha levels, but your telepathy is still not quite as strong as it should be. I realize you have no trouble reading thoughts of unshielded minds, but can you influence people....can you MAKE them do what you want?"
Psi-Shot stammered, "I've never tried. Gomurr says that having powers like mine, you have to be more careful than with physical powers. He says that although physical powers can maim or even kill. My psionics can actually erase a person....taking away what makes them who they are."
Gregor mused to himself, "When and if we get that troublesome little mage back, He and I will have to have a talk. How dare he purposely stunt the development of one of my Upstarts."
He didn't say this to Psi-Shot, however, to the boy he said, "Son, Gomurr is a very wise man, but has fallen into trouble himself....along with several of the other students, and you may be the only one that can help them."
"How?" Psi-Shot asked, "I'm not a teleporter or a mystic. I'm a psi plain and simple."
"Yes," Gregor pressed, "but you could WIN a mystic over to our side, couldn't you?"
"Well, I suppose I could try, but I can't promise anything. Like you said, my telepathy is nowhere near as strong as my active psionics," Psi-Shot finally agreed.
"Good, my lad. You are doing a great thing for your friends here." Gregor droned. "And even if it doesn't work, it never hurts to have the boy more practiced in mental manipulation for further use at a later date," he finished his thought to himself.
Gregor immediately took Psi-Shot to see Nytshade, the White Queen. After charming his way past her beautiful young receptionist, Gregor entered into her private office with the boy in tow.
"Good day Jon," Gregor stated, "It's been too long."
"Not long enough!" spat Nytshade as she reached for her intercom. Speaking into it, she said venomously, "Ms. Johanson, you're fired!! Please be out of the building before I see you again, and please don't embarrass yourself by making excuses. I said I wasn't to be disturbed."
Releasing the button, she looked up, "I told you Gregor, I can't help you. You are endangering my position as White Queen simply by being here."
"Come now Jon," Gregor said, "What's a meeting between old.....friends?"
"I'd like to introduce you to one of my pupils, Jon. This is Psi-Shot. Show her what you can do, boy," Gregor commanded.
Psi-Shot reached out with his mind. His young face focused in concentration. Seeing into Nytshade's mind was like being transported from room to room in the Tower of Babel. The psi-chatter was so hard to follow, it could not possibly be that of a singular individual. The thoughts rolled through his head. Men's and women's voices both came to him in almost 20 different languages. What kind of person can live with this many conflicting thoughts. Then finally he was in. Although, it felt like she had given up instead of him breaking through.
"She's under my control, sir," wheezed Psi-Shot, "but something is wrong. I think maybe she is having a breakdown...her thoughts are so scattered and conflicted."
"Nonsense!" boomed Gregor, "Jon has always been a notoriously difficult woman to understand. That's what made her so........appealing. Come now, let's get her back to the school."
The three marched out of the White Hellfire Club HQ and into Gregor's waiting limousine. Gregor's thoughts were jubilant. The famous Nytshade was now his as a mind-shorn puppet. What a prize she would make. He allowed his thoughts to roll back over the time they had spent together. She had always been a extremely exotic.....companion, but had always kept him at a distance emotionally and mentally, but now she was his. Oh this could be interesting....Very interesting indeed.
On to Chapter 8.
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